Tape guiding apparatus



Sept. 29, 1953 D. Plcuccl 2,653,559

TAPE summa APPARATUS Filed July 21, 195o 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR Dcmsmcn Prcuccr IY :a :ORNEY Sept. 29, 1953 D. Plcuccl 2,653,559

TAPE GUIDING APPARATUS Filed July 21, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mkvENToR DUMENIEU PICUCEI t ATTOEY Patented Sept. 29, 1953 UNITED STAT'E'S.- PATENT lOFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to attachments forr asewing machine and relates particularly to an adjustable tape reel, tensioning apparatus and tape guide for sewing machines.

Heretofore, various attachments have been used for guiding tapes to be sewn by a sewing machine to a cloth but they have had disadvantages such as being diiiicult to adjust and align and the inability to be used by any operator unless trained to use them, resulting in loss of production andv poor quality of work until the. operator has become familiar with all the intricacies of the at;- tachments. My invention is easily and readily used by even the beginner becausel of' its ease of adjustment.

It, therefore, is an object of my invention to provide a simple and efficient adjustable tape guide to accommodate all types and widths of tape, bands or strips of cloth.

Another object of my invention is to provide ay Another object of my invention is to providel a tape guide wherein the stitching may be made closer to or further away from. the edge oi"` the tape being sewn.

Another object of my invention is to provide a tape guide which may have a gauge incorporated;

in its adjustment so that it can be preset for any particular width of tape.

Other objects of my invention are to provide apparatus as above-mentioned which is sturdy in construction, easily and economically produced, and which is highly eiiicient in operation.

With the above and related objectsA inview, my

invention consists in the details of construction and relationship of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my invention` attached to a sewing machine.

Fig. 2 is a detailed front elevational View ofthe reel of my invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the tensioning apparatus of my invention.

2 Fig. 4 isa cross-sectional view of Fig. 3 taken along the line 4 4.

Fig.,5 is aperspective View of the tape guide of my invention.

Fig, 6 isanother perspective view of the tape guide of myV invention'.

Fig. 'I is a cross-sectional view ofthe tape guide takenalong the line 1-1 of' Fig. 6.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer C, attached to the headV of a sewing machine,r

and an adjustable tape guide, generally designated' as D, which may be embodied in a presserfoot (as illustrated) but which may be adapted to be attached to the throat plate or bed plate of a sewing machine.

It should be kept in mind that my invention consistsin the relationship of the various parts to form a smoothly functioning unit.

The reel A maybe any one of a number of different standard reels. Different widthreels A being utilized for diierent width tapes, bands or strips of cloth.

The tape reel Bis provided with a base 20 and an inverted J-shaped upright member 22 which may be raised or loweredby loosening the screw 24 and raising or pushingA the upright member 22 within the base 2D. A T-shaped portion 26 integrally formedwith the upright 22' has a stepped longitudinal bore 26A therethrough to accommidate a retractible center rod 30 which` is continually thrust forward by the spring 32 against the collar 30A formed integrally with the rod 30, but which is retained in the bore26A by the collar 30A against the bushing 26B threadedly engaged with the bore 26A.v The center rod 30, is supported onA one end'by the bushing 26B and at the other end by the smaller end of the stepped longitudinal bore 26A. The free` end of the J-shaped upright 22 is provided with a center point I8, while thev free end of the center rod 30 projecting through the bushing 26B is provided with a center point I8A. A cross-beam l0 is provided to bridge the distance between the aforementioned centerp oints. The cross-beam l0' is provided with a pair of small bores I6 at its ends to engage the center points I8 andk |8'A. The cross-beam. Hl is used te support and. secure a reel A inthe properposition by means of a pair of cylindrical collars I2 having conical ends 12A being inserted" on the cross-beam I0. The knurled locking screws I4 are tightened by hand to secure the collars I2 to the cross-beam ID. The reel A may be positioned in any predetermined place on the rod by loosening and removing the collars I2, then a reel of any width or size of bore is inserted on the cross-beam I0, after which the collars I2 with their conical ends I2A are inserted on the crossbeam I il so that their conical ends I2A engage the bore of the reel A. When the proper position is determined for the reel, the collars I2 are secured in place by tightening the knurled screws I4 by hand. The cross-beam carrying portion 22A of the stand B may also be varied in size and is separable from the remainder of the upright member 22. The portion 22A has its end 22B recessed in a bore 22C provided in the upright 22 and secured to the upright 22 by means of the thumb-nut 28. It is readily apparent from the foregoing description that any width reel A may be accommodated as well as one having any size bore as the conical ends I2A when pressed into the bore of the reel A center the reel A on the cross-beam IB. If the cross-beam IU is to be removed, or replaced by one carrying a diierent tape, it is pulled toward the center point I8A depressing the center rod 3i) in the bore 26A and freeing the center point I8 from the bore I6, after which the cross-beam I is drawn forward and away from the center point I3 making it entirely free to be removed.

The tape tensioning portion of my invention C comprises a block 34 having a rectangular cut-out portion 36 and a guide 3S mounted adjacent thereto. The block 34 is attached by any suitable means to an L-shaped bracket 4i] and fastened to the head of a sewing machine. A block 42 is provided to interit with the cut-out portion 36 to engage the tape passing over the guide S3 and through the cut-out portion 35. Pressure is applied to the block 42 by means of the knurled screw 44 threaded through the L- shaped bracket 4G and the spring 46 located in the bore 48 of the block 42. The screw 44 passes into the bore 48 to bear against the spring 46. The pressure on the block 42 is easily varied by turning the knurled screw 44 with the ngers.

The importance can now be seen of the readily made adjustments on the stand, as the tape must be properly aligned with the tensioning apparatus to keep it from skewing and moving at the predetermined constant tension.

The tape guide D illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and is embodied in a presser foot although it may be embodied in a head plate or a bed plate of a sewing machine. The tape guide has the usually inclined toe piece SG of a presser foot to which is attached the tape guide DI per se by means of a screw 48 and a slot 48A in the toe 50. The tape guide DI comprises the pieces El) and 52 locked together by the screw 54. The piece 50 has a flat section extending from the center of the piece D to one of its ends, while the other section of piece 5U is of substantially rectangular ccnguration and has a slot 5G transverse to the flat section. The slot 55 is large enough for the screw 54 to move freely in it. The rectangular section 50A of piece 5l) is provided with a shallow channel 58 adjacent the slot 5G in which the piece 52 slides. The front piece 52 is of flat configuration and is provided with a short projection 52A which slides on the ilat section of piece 50. rIhe front piece 52 may be provided with suitable markings for various width tapes.

Provision is also made to sew the tape on either side. This is done by removing the tape guide DI from the toe 60 and reversing it which automatically changes the stitching from one side of the tape to the other. The spacing of the stitching from the edge of the tape may be varied by loosening the screw 48 and moving the edge guiding portion 52A the desired distance and then locking the screw 48.

With my invention it is possible to set up a piece of work as desired in a short time as the adjustments are simple and very little discrepancy will be found throughout the whole, as once my invention is set up, it remains so until some other setting is desired, at which time it can be done readily and easily as all adjustments are readily accessible.

Although my invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as merely illustrative rather than limiting, as my invention may be variously embodied and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tape guide comprising a presser foot for a sewing machine, an upturned toe on said pressure foot, said presser foot being provided with an elongated slot in the upturned toe, a rst member attached to said presser foot by a screw disposed within said slot, a second member of flat conguration, said first member having a dat section extending from its center to one end of said iirst member, and a substantially square section extending to the other end of said first member, a slot through said square section extending longitudinally of said flat section to accommodate a locking nut threadedly engaged with said second member, said square section being provided with a shallow channel to slideably engage said second member, said second member being provided with a bent over portion to slide along said flat section of said rst member, leaving an opening between the said iirst member, and the said second member to accommodate tape.

2. In combination, a tape guide comprising a presser foot for a sewing machine, an upturned toe on said presser foot, said presser foot being provided with an elongated slot in the upturned toe, a iirst member attached to said presser foot by a screw disposed within said slot, a second member of flat configuration, said iirst member having a flat section extending from its center to one end 0f said first member, and a substantially square section extending from its center to the other end of said first member, a slot through said square section to accommodate a locking nut threadedly engaged with said second member, said square section of said first member being provided with a shallow channel to slideably engage said second member, said second member being provided with a bent over portion to slide along said dat section of said first member, leaving an opening between the said first member and the said second member for the passage of tape, and a tape tensioning apparatus, said tensioning apparatus comprising a block adapted to be mounted on the sewing machine in spaced relation to said presser foot, an opening formed in said block, a guide mounted on said block adjacent said opening, a second block slidably positioned within the opening of said first block, said second block being adjustable by means of a screw attached thereto, said screw being threadedly engaged in a hole formed in one of the walls defining the opening in said rst block and extending into a recess formed in said second block, said screw abutting against a spring positioned in said recess, said second block acting to form an adjustable slot between one edge of said second block and one of the walls dening the opening in said first block, said last mentioned wall being opposite to said rst mentioned Wall, and the width of said adjustable slot being adjustable by means of said screw, said adjustable slot being adapted to allow a strip of tape extending over said guide to pass therethrough toward said presser foot.

DOMENICO PICUCCI.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Manning June 30, 1874 Schlesinger Nov, 28, 1893 Soule Aug. 21, 1894 Weiss Mar. 9, 1909 Fleigel May 24, 1910 Hayes et a1. Jan. 12, 1915 Hudgel Sept. 14, 1915 Halberg et a1 Oct. 27, 1931 Kahn et a1. Feb. 1, 1949 

